So many options! Need help narrowing...

[ottergirl]

Hello!

 

I am a first time cruiser- hopefully cruising in either November or December with my husband of 2 years. I dream about goinging somewhere tropical, yes- like "Pirates of the Caribbean" tropical. My DH and I have been together for 5 years, and we've never vacationed alone. We did not take a honeymoon, instead we went on a fishing vacation to Michigan with my parents! I NEED to do something romantic with him, and all I want to do is visit some beautiful tropical beaches where we can lounge around, relax and have a good time together. I've been researching cruises, and after reading so many mixed reviews, I'm not sure what to do.

 

So I'd like a trip that is about 7-9 days out of Florida or the East Coast to, like I said, the most typically "Caribbean" locations. I was thinking of the Eastern Caribbean or Southern Caribbean that hits Tortola and a private cruise line beach. Just please let me visit those places I dream about...

 

Food is an issue, and I've read so many mixed reviews. My husband is 6 1/2 feet tall and a big eater. He loves his steak. We are not looking to eat all the time or in huge quantities, but I would like GOOD food- like steak and seafood at least a few days while we are there.

 

He will want to gamble- and I will want to relax. I just want a decent, somewhat elegant cruise line with good food. It does not have to be the cheapest, but we are also not rich :)

 

Any suggestions??? Your opinions will be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

[trish1c]

"Good food" is so subjective. Personally I think all the food on most of the mass market lines is mediocre at best. I also don't cruise to eat. If I want amazing food, I'll stay home & go out to eat in NY or I'll take a land based vacation to some place like New Orleans or Paris.

 

The best comparison you can do is find a travel website that lets you do side by side comparisons. If you must go to Tortola, that will eliminate some ships & itineraries right off the bat.

[NthernLgts]

The Caribbean Princess sails out of Ft Lauderdale 4 times in November & has stops at a private island, plus St. Thomas and St. Maarten, and 3 sea days to relax in a 7 day cruise. There is a large casino onboard, as much or as little ship based activities as you like. The crowd will likely be a mixed crowd of different ages and likely will not be a heavy party crowd. I have found the food to be very good. Hubby can order 2 entrees if he so chooses. Steak is available everynight in the main dining room if he desired it. There is also a specialty steakhouse onboard for a $15/pp cover. He would have several steak options. We're taking our 2nd trip on her next month.

[celbercrz333]

Rarely do you find bad food on a cruise ship. In fact, if you don't like what they bring you, they would probably bring you something else on the menu. As for eating too much, you will walk it off. I ate like a pig on both cruises, but walked (and swam) it all off. Make sure you bring good walking shoes. We did Celebrity Zenith from NYC to Bermuda. I think it goes out of NJ now. Bermuda was really nice. It has tropical trees and everyone is so friendly. We went in Oct 2003. We went swimming in the ocean in 2 different locations. It was for our 25th anniversary.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

You need to do your research by looking at each of the major cruise line's website (RCCL, Princess, Celebrity, etc.) and see which ship will dock in Tortola. But look at the overall cruise interms of price, airfares ports and so on and do not focus on a particular port.

 

In addition to the Caribbean Princess (which is an excellent choice) here are some other ideas for you:

 

Celebrity's Constellation 11 days from Bayonne NJ to Fort Lauderdale, and this cruise visits some of the most beautiful and interesting ports in this part of the world. The Constellation itself is a spectacular ship with great food, service, shows and gaming. The airfares should be very reasonable as this is before Thanksgiving.

 

RCCL's Grandeur of the Seas from Baltimore to Tampa, Florida

 

Mariner of the Seas RT from Port Canaveral, Florida.

 

To save money, look at cruises that leave before or after Thanksgiving but at least two weeks before Christmas vacation from schools. Look at repositioning cruises as these cruises will be the best buys.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[ottergirl]

I appreciate your replies! I think part of the excitement is the fun of planning. This board is awesome- just a huge stockpile of valuable information.

 

I just know there will be one bad thing about taking a cruise... I won't want to come back home ;)

 

As far as the food is concerned- if I take a 7 day cruise that costs about $700.00, then unlimited food, entertainment, room and board, etc. is about $100.00 per night. For that amount of money I do not expect 5 star dining (and anyone who does is living with her head in the clouds) What I am hoping for is something along the lines of what is offered at a decent Vegas buffet.

 

Thanks again! :cool:

[GORDONCHICK]

I appreciate your replies! I think part of the excitement is the fun of planning. This board is awesome- just a huge stockpile of valuable information.

 

I just know there will be one bad thing about taking a cruise... I won't want to come back home ;)

 

As far as the food is concerned- if I take a 7 day cruise that costs about $700.00, then unlimited food, entertainment, room and board, etc. is about $100.00 per night. For that amount of money I do not expect 5 star dining (and anyone who does is living with her head in the clouds) What I am hoping for is something along the lines of what is offered at a decent Vegas buffet.

 

Thanks again! :cool:

 

In the dining room, both Celebrity and Princess will both beat a Vegas buffet, and you can order more than one entree (or any other course for that matter). But I'm not a big fan of buffets for the most part, because quantity over quality is the norm.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

For approximately $100 per day per person plus gratuties, of approximately $10.00 per day per person, you will get a fine dining experience at breakfast, lunch, and dinner in an elegant dining room. All of the very nice ships such as the ships of Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, and HAL have dining rooms described above. You will be served by two waiters and sometimes a head waiter will come by to see that things are running smoothly.

 

At other food venues on the ship, there will be made to order hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza. At the buffet there will be early morning coffee and pastries, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There may be an alternative dining room with very fancy food and service but there may be an extra charge for dining here. On some ships there are late night snacks, though the famous midnight buffets are rare.

 

There are some extra charges for special ice cream such as Ben and Jerry's and drinks are extra except for coffee and tea and lemonade in the buffet.

 

Essentially, your cabin accomodations, service, food, and entertainment, and transportation is included in the price of approximately $100 per day.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[ottergirl]

I've been looking, and I think it might be Holland America. There is a wonderful looking 8 day cruise through RC, but as of right now the balconies are all booked. The Eastern Caribbean 7 day HAL looks good- the one that hits Tortola. We are not quite ready to book, so hopefully it won't be sold out by the time we are ready.

 

Now off to research the ship and the ports :)

[hajekfam]

You said private cruiseline beach - you will actually find more privacy on a regular island beach as the private island beach is full with everyone from the ship.

[trish1c]

For that amount of money I do not expect 5 star dining (and anyone who does is living with her head in the clouds) What I am hoping for is something along the lines of what is offered at a decent Vegas buffet. :cool:

 

That's exactly what you are going to get -- good, edible, plentiful -- an occasional suprise of something fabulous -- but not steller.

 

I think you will be happy. Go with the gossip / feeling / conventional wisdom / whatever you want to call it about the "average" or "typical" passanger to select the cruise line that most probably matches what you want. There are exceptions to everyone's typical experience but unless you can speak directly to people who have been on the ship who's opinions you know & trust, take it all with a grain of salt.

 

Based on the ads & marketing materials, pick 2-3 cruises you think you might like. Do a side by side comparison for yourself & then go read reviews of the ships. Toss out eveybody that said it was totally amazing / the most perfect vacation ever or the worst vacation ever & use the balanced reviews to finalize your selection.

[Cotton]

Hi Ottergirl...

 

Here's a thread I just posted on a few minutes ago that might give you some insight:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=589129

 

Since you said your DH loves steak... Any night on Carnival, he could have filet mignon or sirloin strip, even if they aren't on the menu. A beef dish will be offered on the menu every evening, as well. Examples are Beef Wellington, Chateaubriand, and prime rib. I don't think he would go beef-hungry!:D

 

I don't think you can go wrong with any cruise. Just keep doing your research, and you'll find the one for you. Hope y'all enjoy your romantic time on the sea!:)

[kiraryker]

I also asked on your Carnival thread but I'm just curious about your Ottergirl name?? Could you be close to Fergus Falls, MN??? IF so WHAT A SMALL WORLD!!! if not well I'm an "Otter" fan also.

[VaBeachCruisers897]

Join us in April 2008 - We will be on a B2B sailing. 4/5 - 4/12 & 4/12 - 4/19. The second voyage is a southern Caribbean itinerary that stops in Tortola. The Princess Ship (Crown Princess) leaves out of San Juan, PR. An easy plane ride and the itinerary is a lot of fun!!!

[NthernLgts]

I also asked on your Carnival thread but I'm just curious about your Ottergirl name?? Could you be close to Fergus Falls, MN??? IF so WHAT A SMALL WORLD!!! if not well I'm an "Otter" fan also.

 

Kira....I grew up about 25 miles west of there;) .

[NthernLgts]

I've been looking, and I think it might be Holland America. There is a wonderful looking 8 day cruise through RC, but as of right now the balconies are all booked. The Eastern Caribbean 7 day HAL looks good- the one that hits Tortola. We are not quite ready to book, so hopefully it won't be sold out by the time we are ready.

 

Now off to research the ship and the ports :)

 

Ottergirl....you should find HAL very similar to Princess & Celebrity except that HAL ships in general are a bit more sedate onboard.

[jennat]

I think another thing to consider is what the ship has to offer. They are all fantastic in different ways and of course everyone is looking for something different. Considering your age, and this is just my opinion, what about one of the Big ship of Royal Caribbean (Voyager class) there is sooo much to do and so many entertainment venues (ie, a guitarist playing Jimmy Buffet and Neil Diamond songs, a band, plus your karoeke (sp) and regular stuff. They also offer a Johnny Rockets (hamburgers and fries, etc) for your hubby ($), and a rock climbing wall, inline skating, putt putt, ice skating, three pools and huge promenaude down the center of the ship,etc. If I were sending my family on their first cruise this is definately the cruise I would send them on. I haven't been on Carnival but I am checking them out this year. The Caribbean Princess wasn't MY favorite ship/cruise but it was a very atypical week (Hurricane Jeanne).

Point of this whhhoooolllle diatribe is look at what activities the ship offers and compare it to what you are looking for in a cruise (relaxation, etc)

 

Secondly, the $$ steakhouse is worth every penny. If you want good food, DO IT.

 

Thirdly, Remember that sometimes our fantasy visions of caribbean islands make it hard for real life to add up. These are islands where people live and often times there is a lot of poverty. They are beautiful places and I LOVE them but I remember my first cruise and I was a little shocked at the aggressiveness of the vendors and the "reality" of the islands. So remember it IS the pictures you see in the travel magazines but with a little taste of real life thrown in.